


A Witchy Place

by ETNMystic



Series: Our Eternity Together [15]
Category: Our ETerNity Together (Web Series AU)
Genre: Gen, Witches, floating candle, halloween segue, i've been obsessed with "hocus pocus" lately
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:07:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26986423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ETNMystic/pseuds/ETNMystic
Summary: After the invasion of the palace, Mystic found herself floating by a candle to the upper world. But a few hours, an enchanting song, a candle, and a trio of witches later, and Mystic may find herself in a bit more than "just a bunch of 'Hocus Pocus'."
Series: Our Eternity Together [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1337809
Comments: 4
Kudos: 3





	1. Just a bunch of Hocus Pocus.....right?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which I had 1 job-ONE FUCKING JOB!
> 
> (CW: Bones cracking, suicidal ideation sorta?)

Darkness.

Once again, it was darkness. It was all the same as it had been before, except this time there was no Ivy, no Andrea Russett, no Ro or Alice or Gabbie or anyone. It was simply me, a flying candle, and my own thoughts. And along with the darkness on the outside came the darkness on the inside, specifically the dark thoughts. One of them was to simply let go of the candle; see how far the drop down would be, see how much it would hurt, how loudly the bones would crack, the adrenaline of it all. But each and every time I tried to let go, there seemed to be some sort of mysterious force holding it there as we floated to the upper world.

As we did so, I had a feeling that Emmy would be in a tizzy by now, considering that I, apparently the goddess of her colony or whatever, had just disappeared all of a sudden. But it wasn't my fault that I was a curious girl-scratch that, _am_ a curious girl-and leaving me alone in a room that I've never had the chance to explore was a recipe for me finding something that would lead to something new. And something new this was. I just wasn't sure what it was, nor if we would ever get to wherever this was leading me to.

But finally, I saw a slit of sunlight crack through, expanding as something opened up, letting in more. The candle sped upwards, as though it sensed freedom from the chaos down below. Soon enough, I felt the grass brush against my ankle, but the sun kept burning into my eyes, forcing me to scrunch them shut.

"Stupid light sensitivity," I growled.  
"It's not my fault I've spent all this time underground."

Once I'd squinted my eyes a couple of times to adjust to the sun, I decided that the next best thing to do would be to read the note I picked up. I set down the candle and pulled out the note, reading it in my head.

_"The Black Flame Candle is desperate to find its way back home to its owners, and needs a carrier to bring it there. You must grab the candle holder and return it back to the owners before midnight. Fear not about direction; the flame will act as a compass and will glow brighter as you get closer. The only rules are: 1. the candle must be returned before midnight, and 2. once you begin traveling past this tree, you must not let the candle holder touch the ground under any circumstances. Should you do so, consequences shall follow. Be careful; the forest is a treacherous land with rocks and logs scattered about."_

Reading that last part, I huffed.

"Great. Another path to follow, and another rule to abide. I was hoping to get back to the group for once."

After gathering my bearings, I picked up the candle holder and stood up.

"Might as well get started."

And off I went. 

* * *

About 10 minutes into the walk, I began to realize that this was a horrible idea. For one, I have scoliosis, meaning that my back sucks at being a back, mostly thanks to my spine. And so then that leads to some aches and pains when I walk for certain distances. Every now and then, I'd have to sit on a rock or something, just to catch a break, and by every now and then, I mean like every ten or twenty minutes. Alongside that, because there were no clocks or anything, I had lost track of time. I could really only tell the general time of day, such as when it was noon or afternoon or evening. Despite all of this however, I was focused on the candle. There was absolutely no way in hell that I was gonna let that shit touch the ground. 

Around evening time, when the sun was finishing its set and the moon was beginning to rise, I was becoming unbearably ravenous and I was extremely parched. My energy was low as well, so I decided to sit on a rock for a time and catch my breath. The candle holder handle was drenched in sweat from me gripping it and I felt as though I was gonna cry. I know that I'd done running before this, but reality seemed to be mixing in with my fantasy, and in reality, I am shit at anything physical. 

_"Marianne? Is that you?"_

Out of the blue, I heard an old man's voice. I looked in the direction to see a short, old man in green with a cane. As he got closer, I saw that he had pointy ears. 

"Marianne?" he asked me when he approached my rock.  
"Where've you been? I've been waiting at the gate for ages."

I blinked for a bit, confused as hell.

"Um.....I'm...not whoever this Marianne chick is. I'm sorry. Who's Marianne?"

"Marianne's my granddaughter. I lost contact with her years ago. I've been using my job breaks to go searching for her ever since."

That seemed a bit odd. If it'd been years since he last saw her, then she was likely dead by now; if she wasn't dead, there was a possibility she had forgotten who he was. I didn't want to tell him this, though.

"Okay, so, who are you?"

At this, he stood up and puffed out his chest with pride, showing off a shiny bronze badge.

"Name's William Henry Lockhart, but you can call me Grandpappy Lockhart. And this here badge indicates that I am the official gatekeeper to the realm of Fiction."

The Realm of Fiction?! When the name reached my ears, I practically lost my grip, but thankfully reacted in a split-second, my heart crashing against my chest.

"Wait, as in.....the Realm of Fiction?!"

"Yessiree," he said enthusiastically.  
"No other place like it. Every and any character made from fiction, canon or fanon, resides there, including the king and queen."

"The.....king and queen?"

He nodded.

"They're such kind people and they always do their best to keep their realm happy. Unfortunately, that hasn't been easy since they lost their two daughters and their guardians."

"Guardians?"

"Why do you keep on repeating everything I say? Anyway, there was an invasion a long while ago when they were young and their guardians were assigned to take their daughters to earth. Unfortunately the council never heard back from them, so we all assumed that the four had died. But news has been circulating that the daughters have been seen recently, which has made the queen especially excited, but also rather anxious."

"Really? But how would they know what the daughters look like now?

He shrugged.

"I guess they used some new-fangled tech or magic-y stuff to see what they'd look like when they were older."

_That, oddly, makes some sense, I guess._

Then it was onto my other question.

"What are the daughters' names?"

The wrinkles on his forehead formed wrinkles above them as he began to think. It was almost as if he was consulting a memory bank of some sort.

"Hmmm......I think the name of the first daughter started with....an M. The second, I remember, was an A name. A-L, I think.....Alana? Alberta? Alina? Allie? Ah! It was something like Allie.....Ali...Alison? No.....Aliah? No....Ah! Yes, it was Alice."

I was a bit shocked to hear this, but Alice was a pretty common name for a girl, so I wasn't sure.

"What about the name of the first daughter?"

Again, more wrinkles above the wrinkles.

"I remember that it was a rather odd name, but very magical.....Mage? Mystical? Misty? Mist....it was Mist...something like Mist.....Mist.....Myst....Oh! Her name was Mystic!"

And that.....was when it happened.

My blood ran cold from the shock when I heard something clatter against the rock. Looking down, I was horrified to see that the candle holder was now touching the ground.

"What happened?" he asked in a mixture of confusion and.....well it was mostly confusion with a touch of fear.

I felt myself fading away. Was I gonna die? If I was, I should at least tell him who I am.

" _My_ name is Mystic...."

And then I faded away.

But much to my surprise, it wasn't into nothingness. Instead I dropped to the ground with a thud, pain surging through my abdomen. I found myself inside of somewhere. 

"Great," I huffed.  
"Good going, Mystic. You had one job. _One,_ simple job, and you fucked it up."

I tried to get up, but I found myself being held down. Then I heard a metallic clatter beside me. I glanced to my left to see the candle holder. The flame had gone out, but there was something strange. I noticed that the wick seemed to be untouched, and the candle hadn't lost even a single drop of wax. Above me was a fluttering sound and a small tap as something landed on my head. Picking it off, I found that it was another note. I read it over aloud.

_"Carrier,_

_"If you are reading this, then that means you have allowed the candle holder to touch the ground. As you were warned, consequences shall follow. The door is currently locked and there is no other way out. Once you have read this note, you must place the black flame candle on the altar of memory and relight it. If you refuse to, you shall be slowly drained of your life force. Once you have lit it, you will be allowed to leave, that is if you are not a virgin. If you are, then we shall see you soon."_

".....Well fuck."

I felt the force lift up and I grabbed the candle holder. The thing about this ordeal was that I was, in fact, a virgin. So even if I did what they said and lit this candle, I didn't think I was going to be allowed to leave, but the only other choice was death, a slow and painful one, might I add. And even though I'd considered dropping myself earlier in the day, that didn't mean I wanted to die now. 

Standing up, I looked around to find anything that would indicate an altar of some sort. Luckily, or unluckily depending on your perspective, I found a table with photos, wands, spell books, and all sort of vegetation, including flower petals-white flower petals-that hadn't seemed to age even a day. There was a circle made up of these petals, and I could only guess that that was where the candle holder was supposed to go. My heart racing, I placed it in the circle and, out of literally nowhere, another matchbox appeared. My hands were still trembling as I took a hold of one. 

"Why are you so scared, Mystic?" I asked myself, hearing the tremble in my voice as I struck the match.  
"I mean, this is all just a bunch of hocus pocus.....right?"

Right?

The flame glided to the wick once again, but this time it burst into a black flame as I put out the match. The whole place began to shake and I grabbed on to the nearest thing I could find to keep my balance. I heard faint laughter, along with chants in a language that I couldn't understand. Fires began to appear underneath a cauldron, in a fireplace, on the candles on the chandelier. It seemed as though everything was coming back to life. But that wasn't what freaked me out the most. What freaked me out was the spectacle I saw next. 

Through the window, I could see a burst of green, red, and violet sparks emerge as a figure twirled in from seemingly thin air. Then another, and finally one more. My mind kept telling me to find a place to hide, but my body wasn't cooperating. I could only stand there as the door opened and the place stopped shaking. And what I saw practically terrified me.

Three women in robes and dresses, with red, black, and blonde hair, had entered the place.

_"Sisters, we have returned!"_


	2. Anachronisms and Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi sisters!

I was in absolute disbelief at the sight of these three women, who looked somewhat young, and my heart pounding. I wasn't quite sure what had just happened, but I had two theories about the situation: first off, either I or these women were anachronistic, and I was praying that it wasn't me. And second of all, I'd seen enough media to know what they were; just like the Weird Sisters, the Sanderson Sisters, the Everlock Sisters. 

They were witches.

"Sisters, we have returned!" the red-haired witch exclaimed.  
"A virgin hath brought us back."

"But where be this virgin?" the blonde-haired witch wondered knowingly.

I caught a glance of her eye and her of mine. 

"O, look," she gasped in a soothing voice.  
"That must be them."

I knew that nothing good could come of this when I saw the red-haired witch grinning while she and her sisters glided forward, surrounding me.

"Oh my, what a pretty little thing," the red-haired witch remarked.  
"I believe we hath caught ourselves a maiden of top-quality."

"Indeed," the blonde-haired sister giggled.  
"Ne'er hath I seen one who looked so sweet."

"Nor I," the black-haired sister replied.  
"And on our first attempt, no less. The goddess must hath favor in us."

"I should say so. Now," pondered the red-haired witch.  
"What are we to do with her?"

That was the question that got my heart rate going even louder and quicker. Were they going to eat me? Were they going to suck out my life force? There were way too many possibilities for comfort here.

"We could put her in a cage, and cast spells on her," the black-haired witch suggested.

"No, let's make her our sister," the blonde-haired witch said.  
"A young maiden witch can help lure the unassuming---"

"Silence," the red-haired witch said with such composure and grace that it sent chills through me.  
"Let us see if she hath any sort of talent that may help us. Now move aside."

The sisters did as she commanded before she glided closer to me. If they couldn't hear my heartbeat by now, I'd be shocked beyond reason.

"Tell me," she said in an oddly-soothing tone.  
"What be thy name, child?"

I tried to answer. Believe me, I did. But I couldn't connect my brain with my mouth. I was too terrified to respond, but clearly not terrified enough to be completely silent because I could hear my own whimpers. 

"Speak up!" she snapped firmly.  
"We don't have all night for your cowardice!"

_It's called anxiety, you fucking bitch!_

I didn't say that aloud, mind you. Because one, I didn't have enough courage to say it. And two, she'd probably incinerate me or something if I did.

"Perhaps she be wracked with nerves," the blonde-haired witch sighed.  
"O, sweet and fair maiden. Thou hasn't a need to fear us." 

I tried to find my voice, but it seemed to be playing hide and seek.....and winning. 

"M....M....Mystic!" I blurted out much to their surprise.

"A virgin with such a name? How is this possible?" the black-haired witch exclaimed.

I shrugged.

"It happens," I said.

"Mystic....." the red-haired witch pondered.  
"What year be this?"

I blinked. 

"....Well, here's the thing.....I've kinda lost track myself. We've been on Halloween and then the author's been writer-blocked, and we're closing in on Christmas, so.....I have no fucking idea."

The witches looked at me in curiosity.

"How peculiar."

I pursed my lips and nodded.

"What about your names?"

"Ravyn," said the red-haired one.

"Hermia," said the dark-haired one.

"Esme," said the blonde-haired one. 

"Nice," I said. 

All of a sudden, Ravyn's eyes widened.

"One moment. Did you say that Halloween hath not been covered?"

I was confusion.

"Well...not in _this_ timeline? I didn't see anyone celebrate it here?"

"Oh dear...." Esme said.

I sighed.

"Don't tell me; something's gonna be messed up about Christmas."

"Indeed."

"....Okay, care to elaborate?"

Ravyn sighed.

"If Halloween hath not been celebrated in this world before late-November, it shall merge with Christmas and we must survive it. The energy it radiates will turn Christmas dark."

"Oh."

Ravyn shrugged.

"Well, not our problem. Though I hath heard something is powering this energy; a piece of a....token, I believe?"

Token?!

"Um.....well, while it may not be _your_ problem, it's kind of _my_ problem."

I got them caught up on everything.

"Oh dear," Hermia said.  
"Well, we know of a way to get there. But dost thou promise to return once the deed hath been done?"

I gulped and nodded. Maybe they had a token piece too, maybe they didn't. But I'd rather not risk invoking their wrath either way.

All of a sudden, I felt something jab into me and I winced. A sensation of warm frost swam through me. 

"What the hell was that?"

Esme pocketed a wand.

"Some magic for the mission."

It felt strange that they'd suddenly turned their heads from one morality to the next, even if it was temporary.

"Wait," I said.  
"I can't do this alone, though."

Another wave of magic.

"Ahh, so these are the people you know who are on this mission."

I nodded.

"Yeah, but some of them are dead."

"I see," Ravyn said.  
"Very well. You can choose some more to accompany you; I shall have time be stopped, except for us. Who do you wish to have accompany you?"

I thought about this.

"If I bring back the dead, will they be dead when they're finished?"

"Well, we can try to make sure that doesn't happen," Hermia said.

I nodded.

"Okay then."

* * *

They lead me to an oak tree and put their pointer fingers together carving out a portal to a galactic hell. At least that was what it looked like. My heart began to palpitate.

"Fear not, young virgin," Hermia said.  
"Thou hath magic with thee. And once thou arrives, there your friends shall be."

I nodded apprehensively.

"I just hope I know what I'm doing," I mutter to myself.

"Thou art stronger than thou believest."

I took a deep breath.....

.....and ran through......

* * *

_It's so empty._

_There's no sound, no sight, only my thoughts._

_Why the fuck am I not in purgatory like in the show?!_

_I'm still waiting to be not dead, but then again I'm...not dead._

_But I'm not alive either._

_It's this weird middle ground._

_Hopefully they find a way for me to come back._

_That is, if there **is** any way......_

_I've lost track of the time....._

_Have they forgotten about me?_

_Am I lost forever?_

_I feel a cold hand._

_"Come with me......your friends are waiting...."_

_I feel myself being pulled from the darkness._

_The light...._

_It's faint._

_"H-huh?! You're.....they weren't.....!"_

_My vision begins to return and there I see her...._

"Mystic?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...this is my justification for mixing Christmas and Halloween together. Part 16 is gonna be the Christmas mission and THEN after the end of THAT fic, it comes back to here.
> 
> So it goes from this chapter to Part 16, Chapter 1 and then the end of that to Part 15, Chapter 3.
> 
> Anyway, who do you think is the one brought back?


End file.
